Faculty Projects for Students

NEW! K RITH: Kwazulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV

K-RITH is offering students the opportunity to join its vibrant and productive research community from June-August 2013. Outstanding undergraduate and post-graduate students with an interest in an academic scientific career are encouraged to apply for an 8-10 week research experience. Students join labs doing cutting-edge research right at the very heart of the HIV and TB epidemics. Clinical research opportunities are also available.

All positions will be based at our state-of-the art, 4,000-square-metre facility on the campus of the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine in Durban, South Africa.

Has a variety of projects ongoing in Durban, South Africa involving drug-resistant TB and HIV. The content of the projects ranges from qualitative research, to epidemiology, clinical research, and molecular and translational studies. Dr. O'Donnell is interested in students who are hard working and highly motivated. Experience in developing country settings is essential; experience working in TB or HIV research is very useful.

Jerry PaccioneProfessor of Clinical Medicine, Department of Medicine

Dr. Paccione, Professor of Clinical Medicine at Einstein, Global Health Center Educational Alliance Director, and Board member of the Global Health Education Consortium. For a number of years now, Einstein has joined with Doctors for Global Health and Montefiore to help staff Kisoro District Hospital in rural Uganda with Medical senior residents and other DGH Volunteers. In addition, twice a year Dr.Paccione and 6 senior Einstein students work on the Medicine wards and in the community around Kisoro. Besides working in the hospital, DGH and Einstein have also joined with Kisoro in establishing a Village Health Worker )VHW) Program in 20 surrounding villages. The 40 VHWs have roles that include collecting data on various community problems, facilitating access to care, delivering basic primary care, teaching health, ensuring adherence to immunization and chronic disease medication (e.g. diabetes, hypertension, etc.), preventing disease, etc. Although the VHWs have been collecting data about nutrition, chronic disease, maternal mortality, water and hygiene, child health, etc., they have requested that Einstein students help them in research such as to analyze data, collaborate in expanding and assessing the impact of the Nutrition and the Cervical Cancer Screening programs co-established by DGH/Einstein students, and participate in HIV educational efforts in the communities. This has provided a perfect opportunity for our pre-clinical students to make a contribution to a very needy rural Ugandan community. For more information, please click here.

Vinayaka PrasadProfessor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology

Dr. Prasad directs the Fogarty International Center-funded Einstein AIDS International Training and Research Program, an AIDS research capacity building effort focusing on India, Rwanda and Bangladesh. He also directs the Einstein's institutional AIDS training program as well as helps run the Einstein Center for AIDS Research by directing its Developmental Core. Dr. Prasad is an established AIDS researcher with research interests in definition of viral targets for drug development, gene therapy for AIDS and viral determinants of HIV associated dementia.

Students are most welcome to join in the work that explores basic epidemiology and parasite transcription and host factors that impact this biology. We carry out basic science efforts in the analysis of parasite and host whole genome transcriptional data through a collaboration with Terrie Taylor's (Michigan State) group in Blantyre, Malawi in children with severe disease; with Kathy Anastos (Einstein) in malaria infected adults with and without HIV in Rwanda. We are beginning to explore plasma, urine and saliva for small molecule signatures of parasites and biomarker development. Finally in collaboration with Carol Harris (Einstein) we are carrying out basic epidemiology and outcomes research of malaria in Ethiopia.

Dr. Adedimeji has over 18 years of research experience in social and behavioral aspects of health among vulnerable population groups, especially migrants, women and young people in low income countries. As part of his current research activities, he is leading a research team to explore and develop holistic interventions for addressing health and development in slum communities across 5 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and part of a multidisciplinary group addressing cancer issues in Nigeria. His other interests are in operations research, project design and implementation and program evaluation.

Dr. Coyle's interest is mainly in tropical diseases. She runs a unique Tropical Medicine Clinic that meets once a week and sees about 200 patients a year with tropical diseases. Dr. Coyle also runs the second year medical student course Parasitology and Global Medicine. Much of the material in the course is drawn from the clinic experience. This is truly Dr. Coyle's passion: teaching the medical students at Einstein. There are many opportunities for clinical projects and she would be happy to mentor students or residents

David LounsburyAssistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Population Health Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Social Medicine

His on-going research addresses health disparities in cancer and HIV, locally and internationally, via community-focused interventions in health services and supportive care. He leads a multidisciplinary think tank to address tobacco use in various clinical care environments, including primary care and family practice clinics, ambulatory oncology care, in-patient settings, and emergency/urgent care.

Dr. Lounsbury is currently working on: The feasibility of population level epidemiological research on prostate cancer in Ibadan, Nigeria. Students are welcome to contact him.

Dr. Joe Verghese’s research focuses on dementia in the Kerala-Einstein Study, which received an initial two-year R21 funding from the NIH. Dr. Verghese developed new Pictorial Tools to screen for dementia in semi-literate conditions and is also studying risk factors, especially cardiovascular disease and education, for dementia in Kerala State. The study will also collaborate with ongoing NIH funded dementia studies in Grant Medical College, Mumbai. Please contact Dr. Verghese with questions.

Matt AndersonAssistant Professor, Dept. of Family and Social MedicineAssistant Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Anderson is one of the global health advisers available for Einstein students interested in working overseas. He worked in Haiti for six years prior to going to college and in Nicaragua prior to going to Medical School. He typically sponsors one or two Einstein students to work at an HIV clinic in Guatemala doing research during the summer between first and second years. Students can conduct research in HIV at the Clinica Luis Angel Garcia in Guatemala City or on HANTA Virus in Chile. Students analyze existing databases on topics such as needlestick injuries or TB transmission and then produce a poster or paper. In addition, they are exposed to a rich clinical setting where they can examine the clinical and social manifestations of the AIDS epidemic in Guatemala. There are similar opportunities available in other countries. Dr. Anderson can help facilitate students interested in the MS4 Global Health Fellowship and has helped students apply for international health fellowships.

Dr. Carol Harris is a Professor of Clinical Medicine within the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Director of the Einstein Institute of Global HIV Medicine. The Institute was founded in 2001, its activities being bound by its mission statement: "To break the barrier of ignorance and improve the quality of life." Its purposes are (1) to teach AIDS medicine, (2) to understand and describe cultural, economic, and political barriers impeding the implementation of AIDS programs, (3) to act as a force for change enhancing HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment by the development of model programs.

The Institute has activities in all three realms and students are actively involved. Over the past two years several students have been involved in projects in Ethiopia involving orphan and vulnerable children care and support, rehabilitation of marginalized women, rural and urban development, and malaria prevention and control efforts.

Dr. Hawkins is Professor of Medicine and Director of the Global Diabetes Institute at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Over the past thirteen years, she has developed a tremendous interest in the global epidemic of diabetes based upon her experiences providing medical education and health care in South and Central America, Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia. Dr. Hawkins is currently working with faculty at Makerere University medical school in Kampala, Uganda to develop a more formalized medical education program. In partnership with investigators at the world-renowned Christian Medical College in Vellore, India, Dr. Hawkins is investigating the pathogenesis of the poorly-understood entity of 'malnutrition diabetes'. Dr. Hawkins is also one of the organizers of an annual International Conference for Continuing Medical Education, alternating between Asia and Africa.

Einstein's Global Diabetes Institute (GDI) currently has active projects developing diabetes-focused medical education in Uganda and in South India. Einstein students have taken leadership roles in several prior GDI projects. There are ongoing opportunities for students to develop creative projects focusing on community engagement and health literacy.

Retrospective studies on children admitted for cerebral malaria. Initial studies show that HIV co-infection may be a risk factor for death. She has projects related to this in the lab here as well as projects that could potentially be done in Malawi

Dr. Kim is also planning a prospective HIV-malaria study in Malawi. As this progresses, there should be opportunities for students with this as well. We are working with the head of the Pediatrics HIV clinic in Blantyre for this (with our Blantyre Malaria Project collaborators).

Dr. Anastos is a founding member of WE-ACTx, Women's Equity in Access to Care and Treatment for HIV , a community-based organization providing clinical services in Rwanda, research capacity building, and conducting clinical research.

Up to three Einstein MS II students can participate in WE-ACTx activities in the summer, including: cervical cancer research activities and capacity building; research on effectiveness and toxicity of ART in Rwandan women; community sampling to estimate maternal and infant mortality; development of innovative programs to decrease maternal mortality; evaluating effectiveness of service initiatives in HIV treatment; developing integrated women's health services (family planning, prenatal care, HIV testing, and cervical cancer screening); expanding programs to support children’s schooling. Students may propose additional activities that may be of value to WE-ACTx and the Rwandan communities we serve.

Dr. Klatsky's work covers comprehensive reproductive health needs of women in East Africa and includes innovations targeted to improving maternal health and reducing maternal mortality as well as education and delivery of reproductive health services. Work also includes infertility education and training of providers and healthcare workers. Research spans contraception, HIV and contraception, as they relate to the provision of infertility services.